desserts

Remy Bea’s Pink, Blue, + Gold Birthday Party

March 13, 2019 by Rachel 5 Comments

Remy Bea celebrated her 3rd birthday in January. Last year, for her second birthday, I planned an elaborate party. But January is a rough month in general. And between flu season and weather, I feel like I can never count on anything to fall into place, let alone everything that needs to for a party. Alas, it had to be cancelled.

So this year I felt like I really needed to make sure she had a great birthday party. And that’s why I planned a delayed birthday party for March!

Her one request from her Mimi was a Barbie cake. I don’t know what happened, but this child turned 3 and she decided she was a million percent girly. Well, a Barbie cake she received!

Her theme? Well, technically she didn’t have a “theme,” but she had a color scheme! And that color scheme was baby blues, pinks, gold, and GLITTER — so much glitter and sparkle!

The day of her party we were lucky to have so many of the people who love her present! Cousins, friends, grandparents, aunts, and uncles — they were all ready to celebrate our special little lady.

I debated the food for forever. I usually keep the food “on theme” but I was coming up blank for a kid who either wants to eat everything or wants to eat absolutely nothing but yogurt. Well, we went with a simple route — Philly Cheesesteak Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls (thank you, Instant Pot!), Remy’s favorite veggies (carrots + cucumbers) with dip, chips (obviously a toddler staple), and salad (oddly enough, also a Remy fave)

Her Mimi (my mom) made her two cakes — her requested Barbie cake and a blue ombré round cake with pink candies in the center. The ombré was a surprise from Mimi to Remy and she loved it!

After everyone snacked and chatted, we headed down to the gymnastics center for some tumbling. All of the kids — young and old — had so much fun.

By the end of the day, we were all completely worn out. But it was entirely worth it to see the joy in Remy’s eyes as we all celebrated her big day!

Cake: Made by Mimi
Decorations: Party City
Plates/Flatware: Target
Location: Riverfront YMCA

Explore Hilton Head //

September 4, 2017 by Rachel 28 Comments

We returned from our first big vacation as a family of four just over a week ago. We travelled over 11 hours to get to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where we met up with my mom and dad (Mimi + Poppy), and my sister and her family. So there were 6 adults, two babies, and one Ari. 🙂

I had never before been to HHI, and neither had my husband. And, to be honest, I did very little planning (if any) whatsoever! I meant to plan out some adventures ahead of time, but Summer got so busy with all of the normal day-to-day stuff… it just never happened! My sister, on the other hand, had done some planning. But life with babies rarely — if ever! — goes as planned.

One thing that was set well in advance was our condo for the week. We stayed at Seacrest Villas, directly on the North Forest Beach, and just steps away from Coligny Plaza.

Our condo was beautiful. It was three-bedrooms, 3-baths, and had a full kitchen and dining room — plus TWO balconies! It was truly gorgeous! And part of me — the super mom part of me — could have had just that and nothing else for an entire week. No responsibilities; not our house; no laundry and cleaning — just that for a week.

But there was so much to do!

Annie O’s Kitchen. We discovered this place by pure chance. We found ourselves upon a child-free evening and had not at all planned it out. Where would we go alone!? Well, a google search later and the results… showed a bunch of other places. But I happened to see the description of this restaurant — their meats, dairy, and eggs, are all-natural and cruelty-free. There are no antibiotics, no preservatives, no pesticides, and sustainable. Basically, totally our wheelhouse.

I had the Chicken and French Toast (what a fun play on chicken + waffles!) and Chad got the flash-fried whole flounder with collard greens.

We absolutely loved the atmosphere and the vibe from the staff. They were incredibly hands-on — the chef even came by to deliver our meals to the table. The cornbread? Bomb. The sweet tea? SO bomb. The desserts?! OMG I can’t even!

After our dining experience, we convinced the whole family to join us for a ‘last hurrah’ dinner at Annie O’s. And the whole family — Mimi, Poppy, my sister and brother-in-law — we all said, hands down, best food we had during the whole trip!

TIPS:

If you dine between 3:00 – 6:00 PM, the majority of their entrees are 50% off!

And make reservations!

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Somewhat.

The atmosphere is less appealing to children, but the waitstaff and other employees were super friendly to the kids.

Coligny Splash Pad. The beach, the pool… they can be… exhausting for parents. There’s just so much sand and ‘stuff,’ that kids need. This splash pad was a perfect break for all of us. Located near Coligny Plaza, the splash pad is just off the beach and easily accessible.

Our kids had a blast running in and out of the fountains — and even made a couple of friends! I suggest hitting the splash pad first thing in the morning, before the sun really starts beating down on the kids. But, in case you find yourself there a little later, just know that it does have a little overhead shade, thanks to the awesome trees!

TIPS:

Have the kids where some sort of water shoes to avoid stubbed toes.

Arrive first thing in the morning for the least crowding.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

100%!

Skull Creek Boathouse. My sister insisted that we go here. We were having a rough day with the kiddos and I didn’t have even a second to check out the menu ahead of time. But I’m so happy that I put all of my trust in her with this restaurant decision!

When we arrived shortly after 5PM, the place was already packed with an hour wait for outside seating. As much as we wanted to sit outside, we were also dealing with a time limit thanks to the kiddos bedtimes! Instead we opted for an immediate high-top table inside. Believe it or not, they have highchairs for the high-top tables, so they could easily accommodate two infants.

Our meals were delicious! I ordered the fried fish and chips and a big side of hush puppies (because, yum!). And Chad ordered a lobster rice bowl that tasted amazing.

My sister and her husband loved the lowcountry boil — and I had some serious food envy of them!

After our meal, we headed to the dock to check out the views. On the other side of the dock there is a beautiful outdoor beer garden with picnic tables, sandboxes for kids, and giant connect four games. The live music was a young guy playing guitar and singing up on stage. It was the perfect way to spend an evening!

TIPS:

Arrive early and be prepared to wait if you are looking for outdoor seating.

But also enjoy that time in the beer garden while you wait!
The restaurant will text you when your table is ready!

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Really family-friendly! Each child will get to pick a prize from the treasure box after the meal.

The outdoor beer garden is the perfect place for parents to spend a relaxing evening with young kids.

Java Burrito. We stopped here, first and foremost, for the Java. But I was so impressed by the food setup that I had to come back later in the week to try it out. It’s nestled in a business park on William Hilton Parkway, so you almost have to go searching for it; but I promise it’s worth it!

Their coffee bar is definitely high-end, specialty coffee, with a huge clientele that prefer a pour over (hello!? LOVE pour overs!). But they also offer cocktails for those customers who are going to hang out in the cool café for a bit!

As far as the food, they offer Mexican-style burritos and bowls with ingredients that are locally sourced, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yep – they do breakfast burritos with farm-fresh eggs!

I opted for a burrito with chicken, rice, beans, queso and guacamole. As someone that frequents other fast-casual burrito places, I can tell you that this was far superior to the rest of them. The freshness is something that you can taste!

TIPS:

Take a look at the menu online ahead of time so that you have an idea of what you want to order.

Definitely order coffee, too!

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Yes, for a quick family meal. But not for lounging around.

Duck Donuts. So I realize that this is a franchise location and not a native Hilton Head Island thing… but for those of us who do not live near a Duck Donuts, checking this out while we’re on the island is KEY.

See, I have a love affair with donuts. I like them fancy and I like them plain — I don’t discriminate! Ha!

These donuts are served up fresh out of the fryer! We customized our order of a dozen and a half so that we could basically try all of them. Somehow a single plain old fashioned donut ended up in our pack. And I swear to you that is the best darn old fashioned, plain ol’ donut, I have ever had!

(Good news, Ohio friends — there is a Duck Donuts on Polaris Parkway in Columbus!)

TIPS:

Prepare to wait in line.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Very! The kids have fun watching the donuts being made.

Frosty Frog. This little dive of a frozen cocktail bar is located in Coligny Plaza and features about 25 different frozen daiquiri combinations such as a Hurricane, Grape Danger, Sex on the Peach, Piña Colada, and Jungle Juice! Real Talk: They put all of their drinks, daiquiri or not, in styrofoam to-go cups — whether you’re eating in or taking food to go. Also, you’re allowed to walk with the open container anywhere within Coligny Plaza.

We took our daiquiris to go and walked around the plaza a few nights. They were so delicious! My favorites were Jump Start and Grape Danger.

After several visits, we decided to give their pizza a shot. And OMG it’s delicious! Like, really good and the slices are, as Ari would say, GINORMOUS! 🙂

TIPS:

If there are more than 3 of you ordering daiquiris, save yourself a few bucks and order a gallon to-go.
It’s the most cost-effective way to sip some frozen yummies!

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Not very.
We saw a lot of children there with their parents, but it’s really more of a bar than anything else.

A Lowcountry Backyard. Located in Palmetto Dunes, this gem of a restaurant serves up local cuisine with some serious lowcountry flair! We arrived just before 4:30PM, which is when they open for dinner service. We were quickly greeted with two other families awaiting the dinner ‘bell’! Great minds (and early bedtimes for babies — likely)!

The atmosphere in the outdoor seating area is awesome. There’s giant Jenga, a hillbilly golf set, a giant porch swing, and a stage for the nightly solo performances.

Our food did not disappoint. Between the fried green tomatoes, the shrimp and grits, crab dip, and grilled pimento cheese sandwiches, we left… ~~satisfied~~ very full.

TIPS:

Arrive right when they open to avoid a wait.

Sit outdoors.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Very.
There is so much to keep the kids entertained, between the games, the music, and the mason jars with lids as sippy cups!

Pirates of Hilton Head. Chad took Ari on this adventure without me and Remy Bea, which was fine. The Pirates of Hilton Head is an excursion in Harbour Town (near the lighthouse!) on The Black Dagger! The kids, which range in age from 3-10, in groups of about 20 children (max), learn to speak like pirates, get tattoos, and take down Stinky Pete with water cannons! Ari had such an amazing time and came home with enough gold doubloons to last him a lifetime! We will definitely be hitting this up with every visit.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB-Iu4ZDCgU&feature=share]

TIPS:

Check Groupon to see if they have any deals first (they did for us!).

Make sure you plan to spend some time in Harbour Town because there’s a $6 fee to be in the area,
but you have in-and-out privileges all day.

Wear a small backpack and bring plenty of water and snacks.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Very much so! Especially for kids 3 and up!

We will certainly be making Hilton Head our go-to vacation spot from hereon out. I can’t wait to visit all of these places again! Make sure you pin this for later! xo

Explore Ohio // Wayne County

July 3, 2017 by Rachel 27 Comments

Confession: I grew up in Amish country.

Okay, so many of you may already know that about me; but some of you may not know what exactly that means. It means that our high school consisted of students from 3 different towns coming together to attend school (but still only graduating with 83 people); it means that we had “drive your tractor to school day;” it means my best friend in elementary school was amish — and, yes, I’ve ridden in a buggy several times; oh — and it means that my hometown doesn’t even have so much as a flashing yellow light, let alone a stoplight!

So when I was recently asked to visit Wayne County, Ohio — also considered amish country AND home of the Ohio Light Opera — I was intrigued, but skeptical. I mean, how could amish country impress a little country bumpkin like me!? 😛

But guys. Wayne County changed me. Well, that may be a tad bit dramatic; but I seriously never would have or could have imagined that this place just an hour from my home in Akron, could be so amazing!

We started our grand tour of greater Wayne County by heading out to Lehman’s Hardware Store. My friend kerry had mentioned that I would love Lehman’s. But neither her nor their slogan of “for a simpler life,” didn’t convince me.

But approximately 3 minutes into our trip into the amazingness that is Lehman’s, I was sold. SOLD, ya’ll! I mean, it didn’t hurt that this place was comprised of so many of both mine and Chad’s favorite things — we just didn’t realize that this constituted “homesteading”!

Rain barrels, compost bins, old-fashioned push-mowers, cast-iron skillets, and wood-burning stoves — you name it! In fact, the other girls on the trip were surprised by how much of what they offer we already incorporate into our daily lives. I suppose we’re semi-homesteaders of some sort?? Who knew!?

Our next stop was Quince Bakery and Café. I can honestly say that never did I expect some of the finest bread and baked goods to come from a tiny bakery in Wayne County, Ohio! I mean, I find myself to be a bit of a baked-goods snob. In fact, my husband and friends tend to poke fun at me for being the kind of person that simply must buy and taste all of the baked goods, but only to hoard them. Is there a “Hoarders: Baked Goods Edition”??!! I kid!

I. am. in love with the food from this tiny bakery — and thrilled to find out that she travels to Akron for the Countryside Conservancy Market in Highland Square every Thursday! Hooray!

And somehow I convinced her to let me buy some of the amazingly soft and fluffy focaccia bread she was saving for the market! I could eat only this bread for the rest of my life, ya’ll! Seriously.

Next up was a quick stop by Shisler’s Cheese House. Shisler’s is a teeny, hole-in-the-wall, kinda place, with delicious, soft, swiss cheese on the counter for patrons to try. It was delicious and this family-owned business (for THREE generations!) had such an awesome vibe!

Believe it or not, there was still time (and room!) for more baked goods! That’s right — we stopped by the Dutch Kitchen Bakery, a mennonite and amish bakery in the heart of Wayne County, for a tour of the bakery (ya’ll those mixers were HUGE!).

The manager told us that an old Amish woman comes in every morning (sometimes at 3am!) to make all of the dough for the pies and fry pies — every single day!! PS. We had a strawberry rhubarb fry pie and bumbleberry fry pie. They did not disappoint. 😉

And, I mean, look at the size of this donut!! Crazypants!!

Our next stop was a place I’d been meaning to visit for a very long time — the J.M. Smucker Company Store + Café. Little known fact that our great state of Ohio is home to the Smucker’s corporation — which is actually headquarters to Jif, Pillsbury, Crisco, Dickinson’s, Hungry Jack, Santa Cruz Organics, Folgers, and Dunkin Donuts, to name a few!

I was in shopping heaven! We may or may not have bought a plethora of jams and juices to bring home (I mean, when in ~~Rome~~, Wayne County, right?!).

We rounded out or day in Wayne, County with a trip to the Pine Tree Barn. The Pine Tree Barn restaurant, the Granary, which is only open for lunch, features amazing house-made salads, entrees, and desserts.

The food and desserts were amazing! And so was the infused iced tea. OMG we drank so much of that, it’s ridiculous. And after our lunch we wandered through the old barn, which acts as a furniture and furnishings store.

I also told my husband that we MUST come back during the holidays for a carriage ride and to cut down our own Christmas tree!

Chad and I have already discussed our next trip to Wayne County! Another trip to Lehman’s and Quince are definitely in order — soon! Thankfully, we’re only an hour away from this delightful place! I hope that you’ll consider visiting Wayne County, Ohio for your next weekend getaway!

Thank you to the Wayne County CVB for sponsoring this trip! As always, all opinions herein are my own. #DoWoo

Kid-Friendly Kitchen Crafts!

April 14, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

When I found out I was going to be a mom, I had visions of what Motherhood would be. You know, not just rainbows and butterflies. Or even meltdowns and panic attacks. Honestly, I had visions and dreams of coloring, painting, and other crafts! You know, typical kid stuff, right??

Wrong. Oh-so-wrong! It turns out boys are … different, to say the least! OK, OK. Before you want to punch me, hear me out. I totally was all about the “it’s nurture, not nature” side of the debate. Buuuut, try as I might to have a gender-neutral child, the rough and tumble is totally built into this kids’ DNA.

But my rough and tumbly kid still likes to do ‘craffffs.’ Yep. He’s definitely a crafty kid! However, I have to carefully plan our crafty projects because he’s still a boy. He has a fairly short attention span, so I keep him ‘tied down’ for the absolute shortest period of time possible. And the way that I do that is by choosing to do Kid-Friendly Kitchen Crafts!

Why? Because they not only produce delicious results, but they can also be prepped ahead of time and are done on a surface that can be cleaned easily — the kitchen counter! 😛

Ari’s Mimi (my mom) recently bought Ari a Star Wars apron for when we do crafts and he was so excited to put it to good use!

Our first adventure in kitchen crafts was the ever-so-popular Unicorn Bark! I saw this on Facebook a while back and I knew Ari would love to try his hand at making it!

Like so many kids activities, there was a lot of Mommy prep for a fairly short kitchen craft! I purchased four different colors of pastel colored melting chocolates from the local craft store (I prefer Pat Catan’s!) and a 6-flavor pack of brightly-colored sprinkles. That’s it.

I melted the chocolates according to the directions on the bag (which means slowly and steadily). And I had Ari waiting patiently to do his part. He had his mini-baking sheet ready for the melted chocolates! I greased the baking sheets (besides Ari’s mini-baking sheet, I had a regular sized baking sheet) with coconut oil. As soon as the chocolates were melted, I hurried and dropped dollops of color randomly and sporadically on the baking sheet. Once the baking sheet was covered, Ari used a spoon to drag the colors and swirl them together.

Once the colors were swirled together to his liking, we went crazy with the sprinkles! Post-sprinkles we shoved the baking sheets into the freezer for about an hour to harden the chocolate. The result? This glamorous looking gem!

Totally cute and totally fun! Ari absolutely loved doing this kitchen craft and we are still reaping the deliciously edible benefits!

Another one of our favorite, easy, and slightly more messy kitchen crafts is homemade pizza. For this kitchen craft I purchase some ready-made pizza dough. My personal favorite is from Corbo’s Bakery in Little Italy. I picked up a couple of them recently and then let Ari play around with one.

I spread some flour on the kitchen counter and told Ari to just spread it out. He did a great job and, most importantly, he had SO much fun! I was impressed at how quickly he learned to pound on the dough and roll it out! It was awesome!

Our pizza was lopsided and delicious! We topped it with some Trader Joe’s Pizza Sauce, Basil, and Organic Mozzarella Cheese! Yum, yum, yum! It was so delicious that I somehow forgot to snap a picture of that lopsided monstrosity. Ha!

Of all the different types of crafts we have available, kitchen crafts will always be my favorite. Next week I have a ‘slow’ week at work and I plan on getting Ari in the kitchen with me every single day. I’ll be sure to update you with our future kitchen endeavors! 🙂

The Only Banana Bread Recipe You Will Ever Need

March 30, 2016 by Rachel 1 Comment

Since I lost my job in December (eek – still stings a little to say!) I’ve been upping my domesticity game in a major way. Not only have I been keeping myself on a ‘cleaning schedule’ [ugh — that sounds terribly domestic], but I’ve also been trying to stay on a meal schedule of some sort.

And that includes breakfast.

Sure, it doesn’t always work out the way I want it to; but I stick to a ‘semi’ plan — which is helpful. I’m not going to lie — a lot of our breakfasts have included Organic Pop Tarts (yep – we’re totes real AND crunchy granola like that). But about every other week I make this AhhhMAZING banana bread and we can’t help but eat it morning, afternoon, and night. Seriously.

[gmc_recipe 9465]I can’t help but cut myself a piece while it’s still warm. I toast it for a few minutes and put a teeny bit* [*relative term] of butter on it… life-changing!

So please — if you’ve got some bananas on the counter that are turning an ugly color, consider putting them to good use with an awesome banana bread recipe! You won’t be mad. I promise. 😉

Red + White // Wrap Up

February 3, 2016 by Rachel 1 Comment

The Arthritis Foundation of Northeast Ohio‘s annual fundraiser in Akron, Red & White on Thursday Night, is easily my favorite event of the entire year! Heck, even having just given birth, I desperately wanted to still attend. So last Thursday, at just 5 days old, Remy, Chad and I ventured to Quaker Station at Quaker Square for just a short time!

Luckily, we are very close to where the event is located; so with a babysitter for Ari [thanks, Grammy!], we bundled Miss Remy Bea up, and arrived shortly before 6pm. This was the 19th annual event for the Arthritis Foundation, and I believe it was also our 4th or 5th time attending [mommy brain is real, yo].

The entrance to the event was located at a different part of the building this year, and some new computer software they were using for auction-bidding slowed down the entrance process to a practical halt. My single critique of the event is that they should have set up the credit card/auto-bid process for the auction when people were purchasing tickets presale. Because it wasn’t set up that way, everyone who had a ticket in their hands, still had to wait in a half hour line. And for those of us with willcall tickets, we had to wait in line for a half hour as well. It was crazypants. And people were super upset. I was just super uncomfortable because I was babywearing Remy Bea.

When we finally got in, we went straight for the VIP room to meet up Crystal from EatDrinkCLE. Both Crystal and I weren’t feeling 100% well, but we managed to make sure we didn’t miss the event — even if that meant having to leave a bit early! After saying our hellos, I went straight for the wine and food [recognizing I’m a nursing mother, and I was wearing a sleeping baby, I recognized my ‘window of opportunity’ to taste a couple of sips of wine had to happen at the very beginning of the evening].

The VIP wine selection was beautiful. I wish I could say that I took a ton of pictures, but I didn’t. Because, babywearing an infant [duh]. But, thanks to the VIP section, I did have the opportunity to taste two fantastic wines — a Malbec and a Cab. And that was, sadly, all the wine I had that night. Because, nursing.

[borrowed this photo from Jen at Why? CLE]One of the awesome changes the organization did make this year was the introduction of a VIP Chef in the VIP lounge! Chef Dante Boccuzzi, of local Akron restaurant, dba, as well as Dante in Tremont, and Ginko in Tremont [as well as several other restaurants], was serving up tasty sushi!

We ate so much of this sushi. Seriously. I mean, I hadn’t really and truly had sushi in about 9 months, so I was pumped to not only have sushi, but really, really, great sushi!

After checking out the complimentary chair massages, courtesy of Massage Envy, and pastry and coffee bar, courtesy of Panera, we headed out to the general admission area. I’m not going to lie, I was super nervous to join the masses. I was afraid of judgment from other attendees for babywearing an infant at a 21 and over event!

To my surprise, people were just super excited to see a newborn baby! No judgment whatsoever. So we made the rounds! I knew I had a very strict food limit. Being postpartum and being sick means my appetite is close to nothing. So instead of hitting up every single place, I carefully planned my ‘attack.’ Ha!

Two places that were ‘musts’ were Nuevo Mod Mex [pictured above] and Melt Bar + Grilled. Nuevo had an awesome taco, but Melt disappointed me a bit. They had dessert cookie sandwiches. Bummer, cause I was totally looking forward to a tasty grilled cheese sample! Also, the cheesecake shooters [also pictured above] from West Side Bakery was awesome!

Chad hit up a few more restaurants while I chatted with Jen from Why? CLE and her husband, Matthew, as well as my longtime friends Cristin and Chris. [above picture also borrowed from Jen! Again, I didn’t have much access to my phone throughout the event.]

We ended up leaving around 7:30pm. I was just… tired. And I wanted to get Remy Bea home so I could feed her before bed. All in all, it was a great first night out and a great event, yet again!

Disclosure: I was asked by the Arthritis Foundation of Northeast Ohio to help promote Red & White on Thursday Night and run a ticket giveaway. In exchange, I received 2 complimentary VIP tickets. As always, all opinions are my own.